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Office of the Provost and VPAA

Authority and Purpose

LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY FOR ACADEMIC ISSUES

Faculty Senate, working with its standing committees, serves as the legislative body for academic issues:

  • Approves new majors and minors (follows approval by participating academic schools and college and precedes approval by VPAA, President, and Board of Governors)
  • Designs and approve students' liberal studies program and courses
  • Approves other curricular issues of university-wide significance, e.g. study abroad courses, interdisciplinary majors, issues that affect more than one academic school or college, add-drop policies, etc.
  • Approves academic policies and curricular issues of university-wide significance for graduate programs.

Faculty Senate has advisory authority over budgetary issues:

  • Discusses university budget with University president at least once each year
  • Participates in discussions on Mission Enhancement Funding
  • Approves campus-level model for Funding for Results
  • Approves grant initiatives for Funding for Results dollars earned through the campus model

(See Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws for additional information)

 

EXAMPLES OF FACULTY SENATE'S ROLE:

CURRICULUM -- WORKING WITH GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE COUNCILS:
  • Passage of new Liberal Studies Program in Fall 1996
  • Development of Specific Outcomes Statements for each portion of the LSP
  • Approval of new courses for Liberal Studies Program
  • Approval of Funding For Results Grants for LSP course development and for financial support of faculty taking courses from fellow faculty
  • Passage of curricular changes to the MAE 
PLANNING:
  • Wrote original draft of the University master plan 1997-2007, Affirming the Promise
  • Approved master plans for 1987 and 1997 including the definition of key values and goals of the university and overarching direction for majors, faculty positions, and university initiatives such as the expansion of residential colleges.
  • Participates in Annual Planning Retreats
  • Reviews University performance indicators
  • Reviews important University initiatives
  • Generates ideas for continuous improvement 
ADMINISTRATOR EVALUATIONS:
  • Tabulates, summarizes and reports results of annual evaluation of the President of Truman State University
  • Tabulates, summarizes and reports results of annual evaluation of the Vice President for Academic Affairs
BOARD OF GOVERNORS:
  • Faculty Senate President (or designee) attends all Truman State Board of Governor Meetings.